Family Presents
by rockhotch31
Summary: A quick one-shot with a look into the Hotchner home during the holiday season with my OC Cait Hotchner. Plus their blended family of sons. The two youngest boys are looking for a certain gift for Christmas.


**A/N: OK, I lied. I've got one more story in me this year.**

**When you have an itch, you've need to scratch it. I've been doing what is mentioned in this one-shot. I knew I had to make an FF incorporating it. The tough part for me is I really wanted to go full Monty and write the whole story. But I couldn't do that which you'll understand when you read this. So I decided to just satisfy the itch for now. Plus I'm bored.**

**All rights to the **_**Criminal Minds **_**characters belong to Mark Gordon Studios, CBS and ABC Studios.**

***Knightly bow***

**Chapter 1**

The first Saturday morning in December, Cait, Aaron, Jack and Tate were enjoying their scrambled eggs, bacon and toasted English muffins breakfast around ten. "I like this sleeping in," Tate smiled.

"Word bro," Jack smiled at him, sharing a fist bump.

"Word," Aaron smiled at Cait, sharing a fist bump with her standing in the kitchen while the boys ate at the lunch counter. Bella and Max were curled up near the fireplace that Aaron had roaring. After four inches of fluffy snow on Thursday night, a cold snap had set in.

Jack looked at Cait after taking another bite. "Mom, why did you tell Uncle Dave yesterday to have fun in Atlantic City? When I was a kid, you always told him to be careful."

Cait gave Aaron the _that's all you _look. Aaron smiled at the boys. "Uncle Dave is over sixty now and has learned lessons." He smugly smiled at Cait. _You've got the rest_. Cait glared at him.

"What does that mean?" Tate said.

"Tate," Cait answered, "it's all about gambling now. Instead of Uncle Dave's former real agenda." She smugly smiled back at Aaron.

"Agenda?" the boys asked.

"Getting laid," Aaron said. The boys laughed.

"Smooth answer Aaron," Cait said, rolling her eyes.

"What Doc? We've had the sex talk with them. Your motto is 'let's be honest with them'. I was." Cait shook her head, putting in another bite.

Jack looked at her. Cait shot Aaron a look. Aaron fought to not laugh, knowing Jack. "So you two when you turn sixty?" Jack asked with his cheeky smile. Tate snickered.

"There may be snow on the roof. But the fireplace still works," Cait answered smiling at Aaron.

"Huh?" the boys asked together, looking at their dad.

"We'll still do it. Just not as often," Aaron smiled at Cait. She shook her head as the boys laughed. "You said be honest," Aaron smiled at Cait.

"Changing the subject," Cait said, "I've got a problem."

"What mom?" Tate asked.

"I've got two sets of grandparents, plus a grandfather," Cait said looking at Tate. "And two brothers, their wives, plus two aunts and an uncle wanting your Christmas lists." She looked at the boys. "Add dad and me to the top of that."

Tate and Jack, each took the last bite of their breakfast, looking at each other. Aaron looked at Cait. "Why does this make me nervous?"

"Rut roh," Cait said.

Jack smiled. "Great impression of Scooby mom."

"Thank you," Cait smiled. "Spit it out you two."

Tate looked at Jack who nodded. "When the team was here after Thanksgiving, Jack and me had Kevin help us hook up one of our laptops to the TV in our den." Cait rolled her hand to get him to continue.

"We like watching YouTube videos together," Jack added.

"Thank you Kevin. But you're not helping," Aaron lightly growled. "Get to the point."

The boys shared a look. "Doing a random search, we found an amazing video," Jack said. Aaron and Cait looked at the boys. "Don't worry; all the videos we watch are rated PG at worst."

"Thank you for that," Cait smiled.

"But we saw a video that could work for the four of us going out to the ranch for Jake and Steph's wedding," Tate softly said.

"I'm not hearing a Christmas list in this," Cait said.

Jack looked at his parents. "The California Zephyr is our wish list." He shook his head. "And we both know it's a major, huge wish. That's why we haven't brought it up." Jack looked at Cait. "I know you mom. You love a big family trip. I got mine with the guys on the RV trip. This one is for Tate." Jack hung his head for a second and then looked at Cait and Aaron. "I wouldn't mind it either," he smiled, "knowing full well I'm scoring a second big one."

"We're still not getting answers here boys," Aaron said.

"It's the Amtrak train from Chicago to San Francisco dad," Tate smiled. "The first day on the train sucks. But the second day after Denver?" Tate said shaking his head. "It's amazing. And the dude whose video we watched has a scanner to keep track of the communications between the train engineer, the conductor and the rail lines is fun to listen to."

"Plus youtuuba," Jack said.

"Youtuuba?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah dad," Jack said. "The guy that posted the video has a GPS with him as well in his roomette in a sleeping car. The Zephyr goes through not one but two mountain ranges to get to Frisco. The GPS shows the switchbacks the train does to climb into the higher elevations. That is just amazing." Tate smiled at Jack. Jack smiled back at him. "And it stops in Sacramento," Jack added.

"It's incredible," Tate said. "The scenery the second day outside of Denver is unbelievable. The train goes through 43 tunnels."

"Plus it's a train trip," Jack smiled. "Something we haven't done before."

"Just do a YouTube search," Tate said. "Youtuuba," Tate said, spelling out the name, "California Zephyr."

After the boys were in bed later that night, Cait and Aaron watched the video.

-00CM00-

Christmas morning, with all the family gathered at the Deer Valley Road home, including Sean, Leslie, Wyatt and Ethan, Dave handed Jack and Tate each a wrapped box. "Mine first," he smiled.

Each of the boys opened the present to find a one hundred dollar bill. Dave smiled at them. "Good things happen to those that wait my boys." The boys thanked him and looked at each other.

The rest of their gifts were neatly wrapped packages in nesting eggs fashion. When they finally got to the smallest one, Jack and Tate pulled out gift cards to a big box electronic store or loaded Vanilla gift cards. Jack and Tate smiled at the gifts, thanking all involved, while looking at each other.

When the big Christmas unwrapping was done with the whole family, Cait and Aaron handed a single package to Jack and Tate. "Merry Christmas," they smiled, sitting down on the couch.

The boys tore open the package. In it was the reservation form for a late June trip on the Amtrak California Zephyr to Sacramento along with confirmations for the flight from DC to Chicago to start the train trip plus the flight from Sacramento back home in early July.

Jack and Tate shared a look and broadly grinned at each other. They looked around the room at their brothers, Lauren and Andi, Sean's family and Uncle Dave. "We get it now," Jack smiled. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Tate smiled. Then he and Jack bolted off the floor at their parents.

Jack and Tate tackled Cait and Aaron into the back of the couch with their hugs. "We're in guys," Aaron smiled as he and Cait hugged the boys.

"We want this as much as you," Cait smiled at Jack and Tate.

Aaron smiled at the boys and then Cait. "It's an early tenth anniversary present for mom and me." Cait, the boys and their spouses smiled.

Dave looked at Bella. "You're bunking with me," as the boys high fived each other.

"This is amazing!" Tate smiled.

"Sorta gotta like Christmas wish lists," Jack smiled.

Later that day the family was sitting around the dining room table, after enjoying Christmas dinner. Haley's family and Ted Emerson were there as well. The younger boys had hugged them all and Jessica, thanking them for their gifts for the train trip before dinner.

Ted looked at the boys. "I've got one question." He looked around the table. "Uncle Dave gave you some spending money on the train. And the rest of us chipped in on the scanner and GPS you want to have along on the trip." Tate and Jack looked at him. "But isn't that a one and done with those electronics?"

Tate smiled. "Grandpa, when we get back home, we'll sell them on eBay. We understand we'll probably take a hit on the money we get from the sale with them being used."

"But Grandpa Ted," Jack said, "we'll use what we get back from selling them to buy what we like now," Jack smiled. Ted looked at him.

Tate smiled. "We like iTunes gift cards for music and games grandpa."

Ted looked at John Brooks. "Do you understand that?"

John smiled, shaking his head. "Hell no Ted. But the boys seem happy with it."

Aaron rubbed Cait's back with a smile. Matt and Mike looked at them. "You can't tell us you two aren't looking forward to this trip anymore than the boys," Matt smiled.

"Counting days like the boys," Cait smiled at Aaron.

Aaron rubbed Cait's shoulder with a smile. "I thanked Kevin last week at work for hooking up the boys' laptop to their TV."

"Before scaring the shit out of him by saying 'Agent Lynch I need to speak with you'," Dave snarked. The family around the table deeply laughed.

Cait shook her head. "You don't want to know how many emails I've already got from Penelope on how to do a video blog." The group all laughed more.

Jack and Tate high-fived each other again.

**#####**

**A/N: Yes, I'm setting up my **_**Family**_** trip to the ranch next summer. I can't wait to write it. But for now, the itch is gone. The YouTube video I've referenced with the poster's "handle" is real. Check it out if you like.**

**For those of you that are curious as why this is a big trip. With sleeper accommodations on the California Zephyr, the ticket price can be $550 to $1100 per person depending on the actual travel date. One way. Then add the airfare to Chicago and probably a hotel the night before so you don't miss the CZ's 2pm departure from Chicago. Amtrak does not miss on that. This is their most popular route.**

**Yes, that's how I spend my off time from writing. Watching YouTube videos and Netflix. Pretty sad. But that's me. That said, my other favorite YouTube channel, other than train videos, is Hope for Paws. They are an animal rescue group in LA. They do amazing work. Do a YouTube search of **_**Hope for Paws and the LA Fire Department**_**. The Quixote studios where **_**CM **_**was filmed shows up in the background at the end of the video. Plus the rescue is so sweet. *whispers* There's a donate button too!**

***Drops mic* I'm out. I promise. See ya in 2020!**


End file.
